How does the Luckin Coffee no-ice option change the drink?
Luckin Coffee has added a no-ice option to its ordering interface, first noticed during the Zootopia 2 strawberry collaboration. The change responds to years of complaints about cups filled mostly with ice. However, removing ice does not mean the cup is topped up, so the taste can become weaker depending on the drink.
An employee explained that what gets added depends on the main ingredient: milk for lattes, tea for fruit and vegetable teas, while the strawberry iced tea is built on water, so it naturally tastes thin without ice. During peak hours some staff still miss the label and add ice, so customers are advised to give timely feedback and ask for a remake.
When Luckin Coffee launched its strawberry series in collaboration with Zootopia 2, many fans noticed that a "no ice" option had quietly appeared on the ordering interface. After all, Luckin has long been criticized for serving "half a cup of ice," with consumers even adding notes like "want XX pieces of ice" just to get less. Now that the official option is finally here, new questions have arisen: will ingredients be topped up after removing the ice? An employee revealed that what gets added depends on the main ingredient—milk for lattes, tea for fruit and vegetable teas, while the main ingredient of the strawberry iced tea is water, so removing the ice naturally leaves it tasting weak. In addition, during peak hours some staff still miss the label and mistakenly add ice, so consumers are advised to give timely feedback and request a remake. Front Street Coffee is also watching how this change affects the drinking experience.
▲\n\nClick to follow | Daily specialty coffee culture magazine Coffee Workshop\n\nAs the movie Zootopia 2 approaches its release, Luckin Coffee has officially announced a collaboration with it, simultaneously launching multiple new products and themed merchandise featuring strawberries as the core selling point. Interestingly, however, compared to the buzz around the collaboration itself, many loyal Luckin users have focused their attention on adjustments to the new products' ordering page.\n\nFrom screenshots of the mini-program shared by users on social platforms, it can be seen that on the ordering pages for the new products "Crazy Strawberry Iced Tea" and "Daily Vitamin C Fruit & Vegetable Tea," a "no ice" option has prominently appeared among the temperature choices.\n\n
\n\nFor a long time, Luckin's drinks have carried the labels of "half a cup of ice" and "more ice than water" among netizens. A casual search on social platforms reveals plenty of buyer photos showing cups full of ice, earning it nicknames like "ever-changing recipes, unchanging ice" and "Luckin, the ice kingdom."\n\n
\n\nTo reduce the ice, many consumers habitually stress "less ice" or "no ice" repeatedly in the notes section, but worried that staff might not interpret "less ice" accurately, they gradually developed the precise "want XX pieces of ice" note style, forcing Luckin employees to count ice cubes while shaking coffee.\n\n
\n\nBecause of this, when the "no ice" option suddenly appeared on the new products' ordering interface, most netizens long troubled by ice felt both surprised and delighted. At the same time, however, many also had new doubts: "Will Luckin top up ingredients after removing the ice?"\n\nAccording to Luckin's usual practice, staff first add various ingredients in proportion to the takeaway cup, then pour in a large amount of ice at the end to make the drink look full. This means that once the ice is removed, a gap will naturally be left in the cup.\n\n
\n\nSo in most people's view, to keep the finished drink from looking short-changed and its taste from being too affected, more ingredients should be added to the cup. However, some consumers who received the no-ice version of "Crazy Strawberry Iced Tea" said after tasting it that the flavor was noticeably weaker, "like strawberry jam mixed with plain water."\n\nIn response, a Luckin employee explained that no-ice drinks do get extra ingredients, but what exactly is added depends on the drink's main ingredient. For coffee drinks like lattes, the no-ice version gets milk, coconut milk, etc.; for fruit and vegetable teas, tea is added after removing the ice.\n\n
\n\nThe new product "Crazy Strawberry Iced Tea" that users gave feedback on has water as its main ingredient, so after removing the ice, it can only be kept "full" by adding more purified water. As a result, consumers who try the no-ice version inevitably find the taste weaker and the texture thinner.\n\n
\n\nIn addition, some users said that although they had clearly ordered a no-ice drink, the "Crazy Strawberry Iced Tea" they actually received still had a lot of ice floating in it. Luckin employees explained helplessly that the newly added "no ice" option is still unfamiliar to some experienced staff, and during peak order hours they may miss the label because they're too busy and instinctively scoop in a ladle of ice.\n\nTherefore, they suggest that if consumers receive a no-ice drink with ice added, they can communicate and give feedback to the store right away so that the staff on duty can remake a cup.\n\nImage source: Xiaohongshu\n\nDisclaimer: Some images in this article are from the internet, and for some content on the website such as images, we will respect the original copyright and indicate the source. However, due to the large quantity, some images and texts may not have been credited in time; please forgive us. If the original author has any disputes, they can contact the website for handling, and once verified, we will correct it immediately. Compiled and edited by "Coffee Workshop"; please indicate the source for reprinting. If there is infringement, please inform us for deletion. Thank you\n~\n！\n\n
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
